[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Future Boy Conan 10-12
Wow, it really has been a while, hasn’t it? I really shouldn’t have left this for a whole year since it’s such a blast to watch. Anyway, these episodes were a lot of fun - complete with some serious moments to keep things interesting.
The last time we’d seen Conan and Lana they were prisoners at the hands of the salvagers and their boss Patch. I can say I was genuinely surprised to learn that Patch and Dr. Lao - Lana’s grandfather and the man they were searching for - were one and the same. It took a bit of suspension of disbelief to accept that Lana didn’t recognise him from the outset but then, there are a few things in this show you have to just accept in order to enjoy the ride.
Now reunited with Dr. Lao, Conan and Lana return to Industria to repair Lao’s flying machine (whose silhouette reminded me of the flying jar design from Nausicaa…one of many moments where you find yourself doing a double-take) and set Gimsy free. Dyce proves himself to be a bit of a selfish fellow again, being desperate to help Conan and Lana one moment, then sailing away the next as soon as he gets his beloved ship back.
Lepka is clearly on a power trip by now, impatient with the Industrian elders and doing pretty much as he pleases. Monsley is still loyal to his cause, as are many (armed) men of Industria but thanks to Conan’s bravery and quick thinking, a lot of inprisoned people who oppose Lepka are released along with Gimsy and the Barracuda’s crew. These oppressed people return the favour when Lao makes a break for the Core Block, where he finds the microchip he needs to repair his craft.
All this is in the typical kids’ adventure category with chases, slapstick comedy, evil villains and brave boys who rescue their friends; there are some quite chilling moments as well, which remind us every now and then that this is still a post-apocalyptic piece. Deep inside the Core Block are the remains of a shelter half a kilometre underground, where the majority had died and been buried in an environment supposedly designed to mimic the outside world but left to disintegrate and decay. Above this mass grave only a fraction survive, as the people of Industria; the Triangle Tower is quite literally built on the bones and wreckage of past wars. As with the flying machines, Miyazaki manages to find room for his own themes and ideas in the story while maintaining its cheeky sense of fun for the remainder of the time.
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